Thunderstorm
by tere moto the sentry
Summary: Semi-fluffy Fanboy/Kyle romance. Fanboy is without his Chum Chum for the night; Kyle is without his teddy bear for the night. How will the two of them sleep? Now expanded!
1. Chapter 1

8:06 pm.

"No no nohohohoho. Why must it be this way? Let it be me instead!"

Chum Chum paused. "You instead? But if you went to Muk Muk's house instead of me we'd still be apart."

"Wh-what?" the sniveling Fanboy squeaked at his friend's feet. "I can't hear you. I'm up to my ears in self-pity."

"Don't make it harder than it already is, buddy," the younger superhero said shakily. "It's just for tonight. My cousin has the flu and she really wants to see me. My juggling act always cheers her up."

Fanboy sniffled and clung tighter to his sidekick's ankles.

"You're a superhero, Fanboy," Chum Chum patted his leader's head. "You've gotta be strong. Now I have to get going before the storm hits."

8:09 pm. Chum Chum was gone. Fanboy was curled on the floor, fishing a locket from his shoe. He opened the pendant and gazed tearfully at the face of his friend.

"We haven't spent a night apart since we met," he sobbed before carefully tucking the closed locket back in his sneaker. "And we won't tonight either."

8:23 pm. Halfway to the couch Fanboy collapsed on the floor in grief.

8:40 pm. Fanboy gathered up the strength to pull himself onto the loveseat, where he curled up again.

By 9:15 the storm had started. With each bolt of lightning Fanboy pulled his blanket more tightly around him; with each crack of thunder he buried his face deeper into his pillow. Normally he preferred to stay up rather late, but without his best buddy to play with he had succumbed to boredom and dragged himself into bed.

His large ears were sharply attuned to the door, in hopes Chum Chum would return early, and so even over the thunder he caught the sound of knocking.

He shot out of the restraint of his bed sheets and flew to the door. Convinced he already knew who it was, Fanboy swung the door open and eagerly welcomed the person inside.

He bent down to give a happy hug, but instead of Chum Chum's torso his arms were wrapped around Kyle's legs.

"What are you doing?" the wizard asked while closing the door behind him.

"Kyle?" Fanboy rose and looked around. "Is Chum Chum with you?"

"I don't see why he would be," Kyle wrung his cape out. "Listen, I have an odd favor to ask of you. I thought I could make it home before it started raining, but, well, I didn't. This storm is forecasted to last for quite some time, so, um…"

"What, buddy?"

"Um, would you mind too much if I were to spend the night here?"

Fanboy brightened. It was the happiest he had been all evening. "Yay! A sleepover! Just what I need to help fill the void in my heart!" In one motion he grabbed the other boy's arm and dashed to his room.

"You do realize I wouldn't normally ask this of you," Kyle added as the fanchild parked him on Chum Chum's bed. "It's just that it's pouring, and you know how rain is harmful to wizards, and—"

"What do ya wanna do first?"

"Actually, I am rather fatigued…"

Fanboy seemed rather disappointed. "Aw, the night's still young, you know. We could play games, watch movies; your choice, buddy."

"No, thank you," the other boy looked from Fanboy, who had sat down on his own bed, to the bed adorned with his sidekick's logo.

"Where's Chum Chum on this horrid night?"

"With his sick cousin," Fanboy grumbled. "Muk Muk. The home wrecker."

"I…see," Kyle said slowly, a bit confused but not willing to get in the middle of what seemed to be a relationship crisis.

"I guess you can take his bed tonight," the fan pulled his covers back and curled up under them.

"Very well then, thank you," the young mage settled into the unfamiliar bed sheets. "Goodnight, I suppose."

"Yeah, I guess I'm a little worn out myself. I would have more energy if this hadn't been such a rough work day."

"Work?" Kyle looked up from wriggling into a comfortable position.

"Yeah, I had to fly to the moon to get this rare tuna casserole to appease a giant ninja antique dealer so he wouldn't destroy Galaxy Hills. I had to barter Chum Chum's snowmobile for it, but it _was_ really good tuna. Normally I would have just defeated that mean ol' giant, but I had pulled a muscle earlier fighting off all of those cyborg samurai trolls."

"My walls must be quite thick," Kyle mumbled sarcastically. "One would think I would have heard a giant ambling through town."

"Ninjas _are_ light on their feet, Kyle," Fanboy pointed out simply.

There was no arguing with him. The other child rolled his eyes and rolled to face the wall.

But he turned back to face Fanboy when frequent flashes of lightning in the window shone through his eyelids, no matter how hard he closed them. This gave him a chance to really watch his sometimes despised friend much more closely than he ever had. Fanboy was lying on his back, twiddling his thumbs and looking up at the ceiling. Seeing the look in his eyes, Kyle was suddenly amused with the realization that he had never believed until now that Fanboy was even capable of being lost in thought. His amusement turned to grim shock though, when a particularly sharp bout of thunder sounded. Feeling shaken, he cuddled closer to—_he did not have his teddy bear._ No wonder it was so hard for him to fall asleep. The sounds of a storm outside were easily withstood as long as Admiral Fluffington was in his arms.

A pillow and bedcovers did not seem sufficient to snuggle with. He needed something…a little more lifelike. He nearly called out to Fanboy to ask if perhaps he could borrow some toy of his, but it occurred to him that most likely all of Fanboy's toys were those "action figurines". Hard plastic was not optimal for cuddling.

As he looked a little longer at Fanboy, Kyle noticed that, though the fan was lying in bed without a stuffed animal, he looked quite settled in. It almost seemed that his own body was all the softness he needed. Perhaps—

Kyle pushed the resulting thought out of his mind. This was _Fanboy_—his hyperactive, unhygienic, annoying classmate. And yet, something about him looked so inviting, and the look in his eyes as he stared at the ceiling—probably thinking of how much he missed his sidekick—was so _wanting._

Kyle was sure he would hate himself in the morning for doing this, but he took his pillow, climbed out of bed, and uneasily approached his temporary roommate.

When Fanboy looked at him the conjurer was at a complete loss for words. Making eye contact Fanboy's eyebrows rose as he suddenly sensed what his friend wanted. His mouth twitched, making a funny face; he couldn't decide whether he should grin or only smile slightly. He slid over to the far side of the bed and lifted the other side of the covers. Kyle, uncertain, got into bed slowly beside him.

"You know," Fanboy said quietly, somewhat bemusedly, "when I heard you moving around on that bed and didn't look directly at you, I could pretend…you know…that it was Chum Chum over there."

A small pain hit the wizard's heart. He knew Fanboy and Chum Chum were inseparable friends, but—Fanboy had been pretending Kyle was someone else. But why did that hurt? Why did he care what Fanboy was thinking, let alone what Fanboy was thinking about him?

A very still moment passed, in which neither boy noticed the storm still raging on. Until another loud crack of thunder sent them into each other's arms.

They trembled and held one another, badly startled, but when the storm became quieter, they somehow did not have the urge to let go. It was then that Kyle noticed that the fabric of the superhero costume felt somewhat like an elastic satin…and Fanboy really was as warm as he had looked.

He had never openly considered himself close to Fanboy, and so he felt apprehensive about this…this snuggling. But when the happy-go-lucky ninny squeezed him more tightly and buried his face into the striped shirt, the reluctant boy would daresay that…his heart…fluttered. He hoped Fanboy didn't hear it, with his face so close to it.

Fanboy had not thought he was going to find any peace at all that night. But there was something soothing about being in Kyle's arms. He smelled of magic incense and some fancy perfume the fanchild imagined came in a crystal bottle. He raised his head to meet his beloved Brit's eyes, and an instant blush came to the pale face. The fan smiled, finding the other boy's timid look adorable. He never noticed until now that Kyle's eyes were jade green, or that his teeth and braces resembled uniquely cut pearls set in a sterling silver bracelet. And his pullover was not necessarily soft, but it felt extremely…huggable…

Fanboy squeezed his friend more snugly, until their faces were pressed together.

And, caught up in the moment—

—Fanboy pressed their lips together as well.

When he pulled away to see Kyle's reaction, he immediately regretted his impulsive action. The wizard looked shocked and confused, and with those jade eyes widened he searched Fanboy's face for an answer to the unspoken question, "What was _that_ about?"

"What was _that_ about?" He finally spoke.

"Ehhh, I was just, um, in the moment, you know," the little hero grinned his most sheepish grin. "Yeah, like, you remember that time Scrivener Elf was writing us excuse notes and we were so excited we held hands before we realized what we were doing?"

"Ah," Kyle looked oddly calmed by this answer. "So it's just like that." He looked away and furrowed an eyebrow. "So you regret that kiss?"

"Of course, buddy!" Fanboy tried to laugh it off.

But Kyle wasn't so quick to do the same. "Well then," he leaned in a little. "Take it back." And he pressed his lips against Fanboy's for the same duration.

And then a little longer.

And then much longer.

When the boys began to suffocate they broke it off. Catching their breath they lay there for a while, the movement of each boy's chest having a relaxing effect on the other.

11:01 pm. The last thought that crossed Fanboy's mind before he fell asleep in Kyle's arms was 'Muk Muk can get sick anytime she wants.'


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: My reviewer Jay seemed to want this fic to be continued, so here we are. I don't know how many chapters I'll end up with. I'm conflicted whether to change the summary to more accurately reflect the expanded story; I do like the summary the way it is. Decisions, decisions.

**Chapter 2**

Although Kyle had not majored in fortune-telling at Milkweed Academy, he had made one successful prediction that night: he did hate himself in the morning.

He would have been less jarred to awaken in the talons of a griffin; somehow, waking with gloved hands holding him against a mask and unitard was far more shocking. A happy, gaping mouth snored upon his chest. An arm was wrapped around his abdomen, twitching every so often as if responding to something in a dream. Kyle was not so sure how to free himself from Fanboy's embrace without waking him. He wriggled a little, rolled, scooted, ducked…

A yawn. "Good morning, Kyle! How did you sleep?"

His first thoughts were, 'Why, I slept beautifully, love.' But he suppressed the lingering feelings from last night; it was time to rid himself of them now.

So his words were: "Unhand me."

Fanboy's smile immediately faded. "Oh. Okay." He released him, and Kyle tore away from the bed, dusting himself off and scanning the room.

"Please tell me Chum Chum isn't home yet."

"Oh yeah; he came by earlier," the chipper-again fan said simply. "I told him you were still asleep so he left."

"_What?_" Kyle was horrified. "He…_saw us?_" He cradled his head in panic, and Fanboy burst into laughter, rolling off the bed.

"I'm just messing with ya," he cackled. "He called a few hours ago and said he'd be home at ten, so I went back to sleep." He turned his alarm clock to show Kyle it was only 8:00.

Not amused, his sweet conjurer glared at him. As a gesture of apology, Fanboy opted to make an attempt at cheering him up.

"So whaddya wanna do today, my pagan pal? We got a couple hours to kill before Chum—"

"I'm going home," Kyle muttered, and strode out of the bedroom. "Good day."

He thought he heard the tiniest whimper—a ghost of a whimper—from behind him, and he looked back with a questioning "Hm?"

Fanboy stood in a slump, long arms reaching the ground at the knuckles. The aura he was exuding (Kyle was uncertain whether he was feeling the literal aura of the boy or just non-magically sensing emotion) carried the same longing that was with him the night before. And the last time he had seen that desire, Kyle was disgusted to think, he had climbed into bed with him. But morning brought different feelings; daytime was much less intimate. Still, seeing him like this made Kyle feel as though he should say something more.

"Um…thank you for sheltering me last night." He knew it wasn't the message Fanboy wanted, but Fanboy looked to the ground and accepted it.

"Okay. Bye Kyle."

The very idea of a night spent pressed against the grubby, wayward superninny made Kyle shudder to his very core. A shower was his first priority, to wash away that unabashed cuddling and—the kiss! Oh, they _kissed._ No, no, _brushing his teeth_ had to be the first priority. Ugh, oh, who knew what that unhygienic hooligan's mouth had touched since its last cleaning? How many discarded lollipops from the ground had those horrid lips sucked on? Kyle could not fly to his bathroom sink fast enough.

Brush, brush, brush, brush, spit, rinse, repeat. Again, again; he soon lost track of how many brushing cycles he went through, but he didn't stop until he had brushed his mind clean of the kiss. Afterwards it was time to wash his body of the snuggling. He knew not what filth his idiot might splash and roll in daily, and his mind swam with the possibilities, forcing him to scrub harder.

After showering Kyle dressed and lay down upon his own bed, feeling the need to take in the softness of his oft-laundered sheets. This was his clean, rose-scented haven. His sanitary sanctuary that he would never have to share with Fanboy. This worked out perfectly: Fanboy's bed could hold Fanboy's fond memories of that night, while those same memories—which were sour to Kyle—would not be associated with Kyle's bed.

Home sweet home. Here the upright, classy young man would not have to think about his mistakes that unfortunate night; he wouldn't have to think about Fanboy's germy, tender lips; his goofy yet loving eyes; his filthy but protective arms…

There was no need at all to remember how shy but welcome he felt next to his superhero. It was totally unnecessary to recall how awkward and yet how right he felt in that embrace. Why should he give any further thought to that unrefined, spur-of-the-moment, clumsy, _heavenly_ first kiss…?

Kyle Bloodworth-Thomason froze. That was his _first kiss._ A staple of youth that only happened once in a lifetime. He had always imagined his would be with a sophisticated student of Milkweed Academy; a cultured, like-minded lover of tea and literature.

Instead his first kiss had been with a boy whose underwear was his outerwear.

The memory of Fanboy's lips mashed against his was now stronger than ever, and to Kyle's chagrin, and delight, he was out of toothpaste.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Buddy! You're back!" Fanboy rejoiced, his dear roommate again in his arms.

"Yep, Muk Muk's feeling better," Chum Chum reported. "So how did you sleep?"

"Believe it or not, I didn't do so bad," Fanboy smiled. "Ky—" He stopped. He was unsure of how his closest friend would react to his intimate act with another boy. He felt a little guilty, but he didn't see much of a reason to. Sure, he and Chum Chum had kissed before and behaved somewhat like a couple, but they had never expressly defined their relationship as such. So Fanboy decided that they should be free to pursue other…other…people to kiss…?

Still, Kyle had clearly not wanted Chum Chum to learn of the previous night's events—

"Ky…what?" Chum Chum asked.

"Ky—Ky…Ki—nda peaceful," the fan improvised. "It was kinda peaceful last night. Although I did miss you a lot."

"Oh, did I ever miss _you,_" the younger boy began unpacking the balls he had juggled to entertain his ailing cousin. "I don't know how I managed to do the act right."

"Yeah," Fanboy's mind had begun to drift. "Look, it was great to see ya, but I have to…um…go see someone—I have some unfinished business…"

"Oh," Chum Chum seemed a tad disappointed. He would have thought Fanboy would have several things lined up for the two of them to do together once they were reunited after a whole night.

"Don't worry, buddy," Fanboy sensed his friend's feelings. "We'll play Shenanigans and Flying Pony and whatever you want when I get back."

Upon receiving his pal's smile of approval, Fanboy set off for a certain gargoyle-adorned dwelling.

Meanwhile Kyle was failing to lose the previous night's memory in his studies; and unbeknownst to even him he was sabotaging his own efforts. Subconsciously he was purposely losing his place in a book, or forgetting what he had just read; freeing his mind to wander off into blissful visions of purple and green. He initially believed his thoughts had turned into beautiful hallucinations when he heard a knock at his living room door and a familiar chipper voice calling his name.

But when he ignored it, it came again. Fanboy really _was_ here to visit. Kyle's heart leapt into his throat and he struggled to swallow it back down. He walked shakily to the door, smoothing down his already perfectly shaped hair to ensure he looked his best; at the same time he affixed his usual scowl to his face. He couldn't let Fanboy know his true feelings. Not while he himself was still denying them.

Fanboy was hunched over nervously as he waited, wringing his gloved hands as if to squeeze the anxiety out of them. That motion and his posture together did nothing to make him look as confident as he wanted to, but once he saw his dear redhead appear in the doorway all of that apprehensiveness washed away.

"Hey there, Kyle!" he beamed. It was odd how the sight of that annoyed, brooding face brought out the opposite mood in him. When Kyle looked cynical, it somehow seemed to prompt Fanboy to take on a complementary demeanor—bouncy, happy-go-lucky…but then again, practically _everything_ brought that out in him.

And unbeknownst to him, Kyle had long held his tongue about how much he admired that.

"Why must you enter my home before knocking on my door?" The wizard snapped, somehow holding back the grateful blush that Fanboy _had_ barged in.

"Well you're always on _this_ floor," Fanboy complained. "If I knock on the front door, how are you going to hear me up here?"

"My security system?" Kyle reminded with a raise of a brow (and a mental question of how Fanboy and Chum Chum repeatedly got past said security). He pointed to his palantir and began to explain how a magical "camera" of sorts was connected to it—allowing him to survey anyone at his front door—when he realized…that Fanboy was here alone.

"Where's Chum Chum?" he interrupted himself. "If he's downstairs messing with my potions I'll—"

"No, he's at home," Fanboy placed his hands firmly on the other boy's shoulders, in case he had been planning to storm downstairs in search of the little one. "I know it's weird—me showing up here by myself, without my sidekick and all, but I guess, well, that night kind of showed me that I can do things on my own." His bottom lip was now quivering, and Kyle broke free from his grasp and scanned the room for an umbrella.

"I guess," Fanboy sniffled and smiled, "I'm really growing up. Thanks for helping me through that night, Kyle."

Kyle's tummy turned. "_No._ Don't include _me_ in your mentions of that night. I just want to forget about it all. Let me tell you, and you listen," he jabbed a finger inches from Fanboy's face to underline his point, "I may have been present that evening, but I was _not_ a part of it."

He turned away gruffly, secretly afraid to see his dear fan's reaction. He prayed to God that Fanboy wouldn't cry.

But when the superhero was silent, Kyle turned around, and was rattled to his core by the very knowing smile he was met with.

"You're lying through your wire-wrapped teeth!"

"W-what?" Kyle's voice quivered, betraying him.

"Come on; _you_ got in _my_ bed," Fanboy was doing a shoddy job of suppressing a giggle.

"I-I—" Kyle's skinny ears fell, as they often did when he cowed or slumped. "I—your heater must have been broken!" He accused. "I was just dreadfully cold."

Fanboy scoffed and dug his knuckles into his hips. "Oh, and I guess your lips were just cold too."

It was Kyle's turn to hold back a laugh. The fan looked rather comical when he was angry.

"It was late, and I was tired." The conjurer's voice heightened in pitch; he blamed it on early puberty. "I don't know what I was thinking." That too was a lie. He would _always_ remember what he'd been thinking that night.

"C'mon," Fanboy raised a brow and gave his most suave smirk, "no one lip-locks with this hunk of fan and doesn't enjoy it."

Fortunately, with Kyle's large teeth it was harder to tell that a smile was trying to form. But he knew his lips would show the concealed emotion if he were to continue speaking, so he turned his back and took a deep breath.

"You really think you're in love with me." A question in the form of a statement. On the surface he was speaking in annoyance; it masked genuine curiosity.

Behind him he heard his crush echo the deep breath.

"All I know is being next to you took away all my worries—about being alone, and spending a stormy night without my Chum Chum—and today I woke up wanting to be with you more than anything." He took Kyle by the hand and gently turned him around. "I don't know what you call that, but I've never felt exactly like that for anyone before."

Kyle found that he was quickly and uncontrollably slipping into the hold of that gaze. It wasn't often that he saw Fanboy this serious, and he had never seen a non-wizard cast such a spell on someone.

"Not for anyone else?" He asked the wonderful boy. "What about Chum Chum?"

Fanboy's face gradually fell. "Well yeah, but that's different. Chum Chum…I love him a lot…but—he's more like a brother. I love being with him but I don't spend hours staring at him in class."

Kyle was taken aback. "You—you're staring at _me_ when you have that look on your face? I thought you were merely spacing out."

"At first, yes," Fanboy snuck a hand onto the other child's back and pulled him closer. "But then I found something to space out _about._ And now, after last night," he gave a silly, squiggly smile, "maybe something can come of it?"

"I um, I don't know," the little wizard's face reddened with each word. "I—I mean _no!_" He pushed him away and backed towards his study table. "This is all preposterous! You break into my home whilst I was studying—" feeling the Necronomicon behind him, he thrust the book in front of him for emphasis, "and you go on about this nonsense; calling on me; the two of _us_in a romantic relationship—unimaginable!"

"You…can't imagine it?" Fanboy's eyes trained on the ground. "I mean, I know I'm a boy and you're a boy, and we don't have much in common," he glanced up at the Necronomicon, "'cuz you like to study and I hate books and all…"

"Beg your pardon, good lad?" The tome took offense.

"Oh, I mean, um, the _non-_sentient type of books," Fanboy countered sheepishly.

"Exactly—we have little in common," said Kyle (despite his surprise that Fanboy knew the word "sentient"), "unlike you and Chum Chum. We wouldn't be compatible." He lowered the book to the table.

Fanboy gazed at him longingly. "That might not be important. Kyle, do you love me?"

When the only answer from his dear Kyle was a downcast look to the floor, Fanboy's heart shattered. He turned and dragged his feet to the door, lacking the will to even say goodbye. He lumbered down the hall, debating with himself whether to deny or accept this…_rejection._ A gentle hand on his back, though, prompted him to deny.

"I'll need more than a morning to decide."

Fanboy whirled around, the optimism in his eyes fully restored. Kyle was shyly smiling at him, hands clasped.

"Come back and see me in about two days, all right?"

"You got it, buddy!" The hero wrapped his stringy arms around the conjurer.

"And do knock next time," Kyle insisted. Feeling Fanboy next to him again made the wizard's face blush deeply.

Though as he watched his suitor leave, he wondered for a moment why the heat in his face was focused not so much in his cheeks, but more so in his forehead.


End file.
